


It Takes A Village

by StarSparkle2403



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adorable Peter, Hybrids, Irondad, M/M, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Spider-son, Steve and Bucky are good guys, Steve is a softie, peter is a baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2019-08-05 03:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16359875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSparkle2403/pseuds/StarSparkle2403
Summary: No one would have been able to predict what happened when a Doombot veered off course.Follow Tony and the Avengers as they travel through life as the new family of a tiny baby.





	1. Of Hybrids And Doombots

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: There is a description of dead people in this chapter. (It isn't anything too graphic, though.)

Tony didn’t know why he bothered.

“It’s not like they know what they’re doing is wrong,” Rhodey told him, cutting off Tony’s complaints. “Plus, if you told them what you were-”

“Nope, not gonna happen,” Tony interrupted, going back to work on the blueprints for the newest Starkpad.

Rhodey sighed. “I did the same thing before you told me,” he said. “They’re decent guys. If you tell them, they’ll stop.” He paused for a second before saying, “And if they don’t, they’ll have to answer to me.”

“That’s nice, Honeybear, but I am definitely not going to tell them. Ever.” Tony leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “That would not turn out well.”

“You never know,” Rhodey replied.

 *** 

Approximately one third of the world’s population were hybrids. In most big cities, you’d see one anywhere you looked and just not realize it.

Or you would. It depends on what kind of hybrid they are.

The most common were canine hybrids. Wolves, especially. Then came bird hybrids. Most of them were songbirds, but the most famous ones were birds of prey.

Feline hybrids are the most rare. You can still find quite a few in Egypt and in Africa, but there weren't many anywhere else. Almost every one of them is a house cat, which led people to believe that they are weak.

That’s why Tony doesn’t want anyone to find out about him.

*** 

No one would have found out if Doom hadn’t decided to set his robots loose in Queens.

“Iron Man, a Doombot just veered off,” Steve called over the radio. “Can you deal with it? We’re a bit busy.”

“Busy” was an understatement. Steve and Bucky were completely surrounded. Tony wasn’t worried though. The pair was systematically destroying the robots, and Tony estimated that they would be done in about ten minutes.

“No problem, Cap.” Tony veered off, following the trail of destruction the robot left behind.

It led to an apartment building on a fairly empty street. A crowd of people had gathered outside the hole the robot had made when it hit the building. A mechanical whirring sounded from inside, sending the people running.

Tony flew through the hole, blasting the robot with his repulsors as he did. Metal flew everywhere, imbedding itself in the walls. The helmet on his armor retracted as Tony took in the scene before him.

The robot had the body of a man clutched in its talons, and it was obvious his neck was broken. A few feet farther in, a woman laid in a pool of blood, claw marks stretching across her front. Tony turned his head away and opened his mouth to tell Coulson to send someone to his location, but a soft whimper cut him off. 

After stepping out of the suit, Tony got down on his hands and knees to look under a pile of wood and fabric that was once a couch.

What he found there changed his life for good.


	2. Like A Family

“Hey there, little guy,” Tony murmured soothingly. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Tony carefully reached an arm out and pulled the bundle of blankets toward him. He sat up, gathering it into his arms.

A tiny hand reached out and patted his nose. Big, brown eyes stared up at him, tears gathering in the corners.

“Hey, shh, it’s okay,” Tony soothed, and felt a purr begin to rumble in his chest. The baby’s tiny ears flicked at the sound and a striped tail wormed its way out of the blankets. Tony felt a surge of warmth take up residence in his chest.

“Let’s get you out of here,” he said, standing up, careful not to jostle the baby.

“Coulson is not going to be happy,” Tony thought as he cuddled the bundle to his chest.

***

“Stark. Why do you have a small child in your possession?”

Tony looked up from where he was laying on a bed in SHIELD’s med bay. “Agent! I thought you were still rounding up junior agents.”

Coulson stared at him, unimpressed. “You’re not getting out of this conversation,” he said. “Go get the kid checked out.” At that, he turned and walked away. “You might want to get ready. I saw Steve and Bucky headed this way,” he called over his shoulder.

Tony’s eyes widened and he looked down at the baby laying on his chest. He had thought that his scent suppressants wearing off was a good thing, since it seemed to calm the baby down. (Peter, his name was Peter. Tony had done his research.) Now he wasn’t so sure. Steve and Bucky were sure to notice.

“Tony! What’s this we hear about you taking something from someone’s… apartment…” Steve stopped in his tracks, Bucky bumping into his back.

“Huh. I wasn’t expecting that,” Bucky said when he caught a glimpse of Tony. He stepped around Steve, who seemed to be frozen, and sat down in a chair next to the bed. He looked down at Peter, a small smile on his face. “Hi, little one,” he said, reaching out a hand.

Peter latched onto it with both hands, tiny ears flicking. A giggle erupted from him, which seemed to pull Steve out of whatever he was thinking. 

Steve stood next to the bed, one trembling hand out, but before he could do anything, Peter’s tail wrapped around his wrist. The other two men watched as Steve melted. 

“May I?” Steve whispered, eyes shining. Tony hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to let go of his baby. (And yes, Peter was his baby. There was no way Tony was giving him up.) His instincts screamed at him to hold Peter closer to his chest, but he trusted Steve more than almost anyone.

Tony sat up and gently set Peter into Steve’s arms. Steve’s face immediately lit up as he cradled the small boy in his arms. He cooed at Peter when a big smile lit the boy’s face.

Bucky had a stupid smile on his face when he got up and pressed himself against Steve’s back. He set his chin on Steve’s shoulder and ran his real hand over Peter’s head, drawing a tiny purr from him.

 _“They look like a family,”_ Tony thought, a small smile on his face.

Tony ignored the part of him that wanted to be part of that family.


	3. The Secret Comes Out

Peter was crying.

Steve and Bucky were freaking out.

Tony just wanted them to leave so he could comfort his baby properly.

After a few minutes of watching Bucky pace and Steve fuss over Peter, Tony thought, “Screw it,” and let his ears and tail show. A rumbling purr erupted from his chest when he took Peter back from Steve.

He vaguely registered Steve and Bucky staring at him, but his attention was focused on his baby. He burrowed under the blankets on the bed, and curled up with Peter safe against his chest.

The small boy’s cries slowly faded to whimpers, and finally into small purrs. Tony stroked behind Peter’s ears, earning a smile from him. Peter wiggled out of his arms and burrowed into his stomach.

“Uh, Tony?” Bucky asked cautiously.

Tony poked his head out and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

Steve scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “We, uh, didn’t know you were-”

“A cat?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Bucky asked, a little hurt.

Tony shrugged. “It didn’t seem that important,” he lied. He definitely wasn’t going to tell them it was because he feared that if anyone found out, he would be kicked off the team. 

Steve looked a bit distressed. “Of course it matters! What if we had done something that made you uncomfortable?”

Tony stayed silent, wanting to duck back under the covers. Steve’s eyes widened. “We did, didn’t we?” He asked. Bucky put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

“Tony,” Bucky said quietly. “We want you to be comfortable. Tell us what we can do?”

Tony glanced back and forth between the two before replying, “I’m going back to the Tower, but I don’t have a car seat for Peter.”

“I’ve got it!” Steve exclaimed, eyes lighting up. He ran out of the room, and he could be heard yelling for an expert in baby stuff.

The other two men laughed, Peter giggling along. “What do you need me to do?” Bucky asked.

Tony ducked his head and blushed a little. “Could you maybe, um, guard the door?” 

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Of course, but why?”

“It’s making me twitchy that no one is making sure that we’re safe while I’m taking care of Peter. I’ll be fine once we’re at the Tower and JARVIS is monitoring everything, but…”

Smiling softly, Bucky saluted and said, “I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.”

As the door shut behind him, Tony snuggled back down under the blankets, a stupid grin on his face when he thought of the two dorks that were going out of their way to help him.


	4. Three Months

JARVIS absolutely adored Peter. It was obvious from the way he lowered his voice when Peter fell asleep in Tony’s arms as he sat by the counter in the kitchen. 

“It’s in the upper left cabinet, Sergeant Barnes,” JARVIS said quietly.

“Thanks,” Bucky replied from his place by the stove. He reached up and grabbed the pot, then filled it with water before saying, “You really shouldn’t keep the pot up there. If they fell, you could get really hurt.”

“I don’t usually cook,” Tony said distractedly, his full attention on Peter.

“He’s so small,” Steve whispered, rubbing Peter’s cheek with his knuckle.

“Yeah,” Tony breathed. “He is.”

“How old is he?” Bucky asked, putting a bottle of baby formula in the water to warm up.

“Three months.”

Steve’s eyebrows rose. “Only three months?”

“Yeah. Apparently his mom and dad died in a plane crash just after he was born, so his aunt and uncle took him in.” Tony smiled sadly down at Peter. “He’s so young and he’s already lost two sets of parents.”

“He has you, now,” Bucky said as he handed Tony the bottle. “And we’ll do everything we can to make sure he keeps you.”

***

The thing about actual cats is that they seem to disappear every once in a while. 

Cat hybrids do the same thing sometimes, but there is an easy explanation for where they go.

***

After Bucky and Steve left to carry all the baby things upstairs that JARVIS had ordered (they insisted on doing it themselves), Tony took Peter and disappeared.

Well, actually, he had just opened the secret door in his closet and went inside. 

“This is my hiding place,” he said to Peter, who was looking around the room. “I’m the only one that knows it’s here.”

Tony settled down in the big, fluffy armchair and sat Peter in his lap. He looked on as Peter grabbed at the blanket Tony had thrown over the arm of the chair the last time he was in the room.

It was getting to be night time, but Peter was wide awake. “I guess I shouldn’t have let you have a nap so late in the day, huh?” Tony said, smiling fondly. 

He picked up the blanket and spread it out on the floor of the small room, then set Peter down on it. Tony laid down next to him and turned on his StarkPad. “Okay, J,” he said. “Pull up everything you can find on childcare.”

Completely absorbed in reading, Tony didn’t notice Peter was moving until he collided with Tony’s side. He looked down at the giggling baby in shock and said, “Did you just roll over here all by yourself? You shouldn’t be able to do that yet.” Peter just smiled up at him sweetly in response. Tony shook his head. “You’re going to be trouble aren’t you?”


	5. Trouble

Tony was right. Peter was trouble.

It wasn’t the first time he wished he was wrong, but it was turning out to be the most memorable.

***

Tony had read that at three months babies started to sleep through the night. Apparently the authors of those articles hadn’t accounted for Peter.

“Come on, Petey-pie,” Tony murmured, walking around the room Steve and Bucky had decorated. He rocked Peter gently as he said, “I know this is a new room and it doesn’t smell right, but you have to sleep, honey.”

Peter snuffled, and his ears flicked, tickling the underside of Tony’s chin. His eyes were drooping, but he refused to go to sleep.

Tony turned when someone knocked on the door. Steve stepped in and walked over to them.

“Bucky and I went back to Peter’s old house,” Steve said quietly. “We found this in his nursery.” He held up a small stuffed spider.

“That is absolutely adorable,” Tony said. He took the spider from Steve and showed it to Peter. “Is this what was missing, bud?”

Peter grabbed for the spider, so Tony handed it to him. He rubbed his face on the spider before falling asleep on it.

Steve chuckled. “That was quick.”

Tony started to lower Peter into the crib, but Peter woke up as soon as Tony let him go. He sighed. “Looks like a night on the couch for me,” he said, picking Peter back up.

“I’ll get you some blankets,” Steve said.

***

Peter was crying again.

“I’m not doing it,” Bucky said.

“Me neither,” Steve agreed.

“Really? You’re making me do it?” Tony asked.

“Uh, yeah? I mean, you’re his dad,” Bucky said.

“I don’t know how to change a diaper!” Tony exclaimed.

“No time to learn like the present,” Steve said, scooping up Peter and placing him in Tony’s arms. Bucky gave Tony a thumbs up before both men fled the room.

“Bastards,” Tony muttered. He looked down at Peter. “You didn’t hear that.”


	6. "I can't find Peter."

Steve and Bucky walked into the room to see a frantic Tony running around the penthouse. 

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked. 

“I can’t find Peter,” Tony said, looking under the couch.

“I can’t either,” JARVIS said worriedly.

“What?” Bucky exclaimed, shock written across his face.

Steve was frozen. “No,” he murmured. “No, no, no, no.” He ran after Tony, helping him to pull apart the penthouse. 

Bucky was about to follow them when he heard a thump in the ceiling. _“Clint,”_ he thought. He opened up the vent and climbed inside. Following his nose, he found Clint in a small room connected to a side tunnel.

When he saw the other man, Bucky said, “Seriously? How many cats are there in this tower?”

Clint jumped a foot in the air, clutching something to his chest. “Get out,” he said defensively, ears twitching in agitation.

“Not until you give Peter back,” Bucky said, dropping down into the room.

“No,” Clint said stubbornly. “Not until you get out of my nest.”

Bucky’s eyes widened, looking around the room. “I’m so sorry,” he said, climbing back into the vent. Everyone knew that you didn’t go into a cat’s nest without their express permission, and Bucky had just done exactly that.

“Can you please give me Peter now?” Bucky asked desperately, holding his arms out.

Clint carefully placed Peter into his arms, and the baby made a contented sound, snuggling into Bucky’s chest.

“Why did you take him?” Bucky asked. 

Clint looked at his shoes. “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. 

“You have to do better than that,” Bucky said, frowning.

“I sincerely don’t know,” Clint said in frustration. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

Bucky eyed him, gently rubbing Peter’s back. “Why don’t we ask Tony?” he suggested. “He seems to have these cat things worked out.”

Clint nodded, a frown firmly out on his face, and followed him into the vents.


	7. One of Your Own

As soon as they popped out of the vents, Tony snatched Peter out of Bucky’s arms, Steve hovering over his shoulder.

“Oh my sweet little kitten, you scared me to death,” Tony said, clutching Peter to his chest. He looked up and caught the look on Clint’s face before the other man looked away.

“Clint?” Tony asked cautiously. “Do you want to hold Peter?”

Clint’s head snapped up. “You- you would let me do that?”

“Of course,” Tony replied, walking over to him. “Here.” Tony placed Peter in Clint’s arms and jerked his head at Steve and Bucky to leave the room.

Peter reached out and swatted Clint’s nose, and Clint melted.

“He has that effect, doesn’t he?” Tony asked, stroking one of Peter’s tiny ears.

“Yeah,” Clint said quietly.

“I think,” Tony began, “that you took Peter because you’re missing kids that you always see.”

Clint looked away.

“And I think you want one of your own.”

“It’s not going to ever happen,” Clint whispered. 

“Why not?” Tony asked gently.

“Phil doesn’t want kids.”

***

Tony had finally got Clint to sit down and, for the first time, Tony was okay with someone else hogging Peter.

“It’s almost time for his bottle,” Tony said, walking toward the kitchen. “Do you want to feed him?”

“Can I?” Clint asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

“Of course.” Tony entered the kitchen and started preparing a bottle.

“I informed Agent Coulson that there was a situation that he must attend to,” JARVIS said quietly. 

“Good thinking, J,” Tony replied. “Those two need to have a heart to heart.”

“That they do,” JARVIS agreed as Tony stepped out of the kitchen.


	8. Kids

“Who are the kids?” 

“What?” Clint looked up as Tony handed him the bottle.

“Who are the kids? The ones you always see?” Tony asked, sitting beside him.

Clint was silent for a moment, focused on feeding Peter. Tony waited patiently, knowing Clint was just trying to get his thoughts in order.

“They’re my sister’s,” Clint finally said. “I haven’t been able to get away to see them since New York.”

Tony rested his chin on Clint’s shoulder to look down at Peter. “You should have told Steve or I. We would have found a way for you to go see them.”

“I know,” Clint sighed. “I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“Hey,” Tony flicked Clint’s ear, “you bother me on a regular basis, but I wouldn’t mind doing this. Besides, us cats have to stick together.”

A faint smile appeared on Clint’s face. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

***

“What’s the emergency?” Coulson asked as he walked into the living room.

Tony stood up, dragged Coulson over, and sat him down next to Clint. “You two need to talk.” He started to walk out of the room, but Clint’s voice stopped him.

“Aren’t you going to take Peter?”

“Nope.” Tony grinned. “Make sure you don’t start yelling. He doesn’t like loud noises.”

***

“So you just left them alone with him?” Bucky asked incredulously.

“Yep.” Tony smiled up at him from his seat in the common room.

“Why?” Steve asked, sitting next to him. Bucky stayed standing, looking like he wanted to take Peter away from Clint and never let him go.

Tony smiled. “Having a kitten with him will help calm Clint down. It’s part of our biology.”

“And what about Coulson?”

“He’s the most level-headed person I know, and he would rather kill himself than hurt a child.” Tony reached out and pulled Bucky down next to him. “Now both of you stop worrying. We have Disney movies to watch. I need to brush up on them so I can show them to Peter when he’s older.”

When Bucky moved to get up again, Tony snuggled into his side, throwing one leg over Bucky’s.

Steve’s eyes lit up. “Come on, Buck. There are so many now. And the animation is amazing!”

Bucky grumbled, but settled in, throwing an arm around Steve’s shoulders and sneakily burying his nose in Tony’s hair.


	9. "Someday Soon."

After a long talk, Clint and Phil went down to the common room, Peter sleeping in Phil’s arms. When they got there, they found Steve, Tony, and Bucky curled up together on the couch, watching Tangled.

“It’s about damn time,” Phil muttered, sitting down on the loveseat. 

“Hey,” Tony protested. “No swearing in front of my kid.”

Peter snuffled and opened his eyes. He looked around and when he spotted Tony, he giggled and reached out. 

“You want your Dad, bud?” Clint asked, taking Peter from Phil. He gently set the baby down on Tony’s chest. “There you go.”

Tony’s arm moved to hold him in place. “Hey there, Kitten. Did you keep Uncle Clint in line?”

“I get to be an uncle?” Clint asked happily, flopping down next to Phil and snuggling into his side.

“Only if you promise not to do anything with him without asking me first,” Tony replied, leveling Clint with a stare and petting behind Peter’s ears.

“I can do that,” Clint said with a grin. “I’m teaching him how to shoot, though.”

“Nuh, uh,” Bucky said, looking up from where his finger was trapped in Peter’s hand. “I’m doing that. You won’t do it properly.”

“I would be an amazing teacher!” Clint protested, leaning forward.

“Calm down,” Phil said, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him back. He wrapped his arm around Clint’s waist. “You can argue about this later, when I’m not here.”

“So,” Tony said, grinning mischievously. “Did you two decide on anything?”

Clint smiled and replied, “Maaaaaybe.” 

Phil rolled his eyes fondly. “Someday soon.”

“Someday soon? What does that mean?” Steve asked in confusion.

Tony patted his arm. “Nothing you need to worry about,” he said, smiling up at him. Peter gave a huff of complaint at Tony taking his hand out of his hair. “Okay, okay. I’ll pay attention to you.”

Peter smiled happily, ears twitching. “You’re just adorable,” Steve cooed, resting his chin on Tony’s shoulder.

Bucky grinned down at his finger that was still trapped in Peter’s hand. “He really is.”

Leaning in to whisper in Clint’s ear, Phil said, “Let’s give the happy family some alone time.”

Clint nodded and got up, pulling Phil after him. “Can we go look for our own little attention stealer?”

“Whatever you want,” Phil said with a smile, pressing a kiss to his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone want to see Clint and Phil go to orphanages and/or foster homes to see kids?
> 
> If yes, give me names of children and what you think they would be like.


End file.
